Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The Purging of The Tea Party Has Begun

By Ron York

Still reeling from defeat at the polls, the Republican Party has assigned blame to the Tea Party and has begun a purge of the extreme right leaning coalition. John Boehner and company are done taking falls for this group of uncompromising small government zealots. In the end, they could not deliver the vote.
Today's house cleaning by the Republicans is much like the actions by the Democratic Party after the 1972 debacle. Before you start playing Chopin's Funeral March for the Tea Party, you need to be absolutely certain that the beast is dead.

Although mortally wounded, the Tea Party is still lethal and will be for some time.Their venomous Credo has taken cult like roots all across the nation. Motivated by frustration, the real fanatics in this political sect will go on suicide missions - "Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead."

World War II was over in October 1941 - two months before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. October 1941 saw Hitler make the largest strategical blunder of his Third Reich reign of terror. He invaded Russia (USSR), another tyrannical hell hole ran by even a colder bastard - Stalin. The Nazis should have just surrendered that autumn, but they didn't. It would be more than three years and millions of deaths before the hostilities would end.

During the period from October 1941 and April 1945, Hitler damn near wiped out the European Jews - all after Germany's death warrant had been signed and sealed.
The Tea Party is has begun its trek down the same road, while refusing to concede a single inch. The Speaker is now focused on the longevity and relevance of the Republican Party. As for Paul Ryan? He is not the future of the GOP, but only a brief historical episode. As Cousin Eddie said in Christmas Vacation "Clark, if that cat had nine lives, he spent them all right there." As for the U.S. Capitol, the Tea Party is about to become persona non grata. But, in your town, the Tea Party still has some reprise performances.

Before the Tea Party is emasculated at the local level, pension plans for police and fire will be only hollow shells of what they are today. Police unions that hesitate to take action will end up in the political gas chambers. It does not matter that you make it until two days before the surrender, you are still dead. The smart union will adapt, compromise, and live to show the tattoo on its forearm, while the others get their names engraved on a stone memorial.

Postscript: How did we get into this mess? Police unions made the same mistake the Tea Party did - we overreached and got slapped down. Pick yourself up and start making amends before your pension is just another casualty.